The Riverside wage bill has been reduced by almost £5m since Steve McClaren reported for work on Teesside last summer.

The Riverside wage bill has been reduced by almost #5m since Steve McClaren reported for work on Teesside last summer.

The Middlesbrough manager needs to reinvest that money quickly if he is to steer the club away from the Premiership danger-zone in the closing months of an up-and-down debut campaign.

Back-to-back defeats of Manchester United and Sunderland had put the home fans in high spirits as they went to the Riverside Stadium yesterday afternoon.

But 90 minutes of Boro boredom put everything back into perspective as the Teessiders toiled with no reward against an uninspiring Charlton side in one of the worst games of the Premiership season so far.

Having drawn 0-0 in their last two league meetings, it was little surprise neither side was able to make their mark.

But that didn't make things any better for the Boro fans who were again given cause to boo their players off at the final whistle. McClaren stuck with the players who had given Sunderland boss Peter Reid a major headache five days earlier, with Ugo Ehiogu and Alen Boksic still only fit enough to watch.

Ehiogu's absence gave disgraced defender Gianluca Festa the chance to atone for his red card at the Stadium of Light although the Sardinian continues to deny spitting a mouthful of blood at Black Cats' striker Kevin Phillips, despite the evidence.

Both sides joined in silence before kick-off in memory of Finlay Cooper, the two-year-old son of Boro star Colin who died eight days earlier.

It is a tragedy which has touched the hearts of all on Teesside. And, despite what they achieved by beating Sunderland last Tuesday, the thoughts of the Boro players were always with their grieving team-mate and his family as they completed a derby double at the Stadium of Light. That win was built on grit and steely determination. But McClaren's side looked edgy in the opening stages of this game as Charlton strove for their 10th league win in 38 trips to Teesside.

Chances were rare. Jorge Costa went closest for the Addicks with a header which was flashed wide while, at the other end, Jon Fortune almost beat his own keeper as he rose to meet a corner. The turn-out was again disappointing, with plenty of seats empty around the ground. Even those who stayed at home to watch on TV must have felt like turning off - with the first half enough to leave Sky bosses wondering what it was that led them to choose this match for transmission.

Redundant keepers Mark Crossley and Dean Kiely both made routine saves to deny Chris Bart-Williams and Paul Ince. And the Boro fans had to wait until stoppage time at the end of the first half for a real threat, as Kiely touched Franck Queudrue's powerful free-kick over the bar.

Knowing that victory could lift his side to the relative sanctuary of 14th in the Premiership table, Boro boss McClaren threw on striker Andy Campbell at the start of the second half.

Queudrue lashed a shot high over the bar six minutes after the restart. But Boro were no closer to lifting the game out of the doldrums, with neither side displaying the kind of quality normally seen in the Premiership.

The English top flight is widely regarded as the greatest league in world football. Many more games like this will start to cast major doubts over that view.

Campbell was lucky to escape with a booking for a wild challenge on Scott Parker.

The loudest cheer of the afternoon was reserved for Carlos Marinelli's introduction, a 61st-minute substitute for Dean Windass. The Argentinian youngster has more flair than the rest of his team-mates put together. But not even he was able to conjure up any trademark magic as the Boro fans made an early exit.

Gareth Southgate miskicked when presented with a chance 17 minutes from the end. And when Noel Whelan missed with a header at the close - the first time in five games he has failed to score - the exodus began.

Boro have three more matches at the Riverside to play before March 2. McClaren's side cannot afford to keep dropping points at home if they want to make sure of safety.